Maker



(No Model.)

G. F. SHOEMAKER & E. J. HESS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING SPRINGS.

Patented Feb.-27, 1883.- Fzt'g'. l

EOJ.

UNITED STATES PATENT Cerise.

CHARLES F. SHOEMAKER vAND ELMER J. HESS, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO; SAID SHOEMAKER ASSIGNOR TO ALFRED HESS, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR FORMING SPRINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 272,912, dated February 27, 1883.

Application filed April 24, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES F. SHOE- MAKER and ELMER. J. HESS, residents of the city of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Carriage-Springs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a machine for forming the various leaves of velow cost, as no skilled labor is necessary to the perfect working of 'our machine.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view of our machine, part of the upper frame- Work being removed to better exhibit the working parts. part of our machine. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the lower part of our machine as it appears when forming the first leaf of the spring; and Fig. 4. represents the same parts arranged for forming the additional leaves of the spring. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side view of one of the fingers shown in Fig. 4.

'A suitable frame, preferably consisting of the standards A, is surrounded by a horizontal frame, A, which supports the shafting and gear or other equivalent mechanism necessary to the operation of the machine.

Extending across the frame A is a shaft, B, which is the main driving-shaft of the machine, and to which is secured the gear-wheel B and the pulley B or other device for operating said shaft. Another shaft, C,.extends across the frame A, parallel to the shaft B, and on this shaft C is a gear-wheel, C, which turns loosely thereon and engages with the gear-wheel B on the shaft B. On the shaft 0 is also a sleeve, a, which is capable of slid- I Fig. 2 is a plan view of the uppering longitudinally thereon, but is prevented from turning thereon by a suitable feather or key, a.

vided with clutches b, so that when the sleeve a is slid on the shaft C the clutches will e'ngage with each other and the shaft C be caused to rotate.

Suitable mechanism for locking and unlocking the clutch is to be provided. In the present instance this mechanism is as follows: The sleeve a is provided with a groove or channel, 1), into which fits a yoke, (Z, on the lever 01, which is pivoted to one end of the extension d of the frame A, and this lever d is operated by another lever, D, which is pivoted to the supporting-frame, and this latter lever is in turn operated by the hand-lever D,

through the agency of which the sleeve a is caused to slide on the shaft 0 to engage with or be disengaged from the hub of the wheel C. It will be obvious that this particular arrangement of levers may be modified as occasion requires. Suitable guides or guideways are provided for guiding the reciprocating die block or holder E. A preferable mode of forming these guideways is as follows: The inner faces of the standards A are provided with guideways e, and between said standards is the block or die-holder E, the ends of which engage with the guideways e of the standards A, and are capable of sliding up and down between said standards.

To the shaft C, and in about the same plane as the block E, is secured a cam, F, which cam is surrounded by and works freely in a yoke, f,- formed on the upper end of the pitman F, the lower end of said pitman being connected to the block E by means of a stirrup,f. The last-named end of the pitman F is connected to the stirrupf by a pin, f which passes through a slot,f ,in either side of the stirrup. Between this end of the pitman F and the upper edge of the block E is a spring, G, the ends of which spring are provided with shoes 9. which slide on and preferably embrace the sides of-the upper edge of said block. Below the block E is another block, E, which is permanently secured to the standards A. The

The opposing ends of the hub c of -the gear-wheel C and the sleeve on are pro- 2 amen-.2

dies or formers H H are connected respectively to these blocks E E by means of bolts h, passing through slots h in said dies, and through the slots or openings 7L2 in the blocks. As the shaftU is revolved by causing the clutch on the sleeve a to engage with the clutch on the gear-wheel O, the cam F causes the pit-' man Fand the block E to be alternately raised and lowered.

In forming elliptical springs composed of more than one leaf it is desirable that each leaf shall be of a slightly shorter curvaturethat is, a curvatureof less radius than the one preceding it-'in order that when the various leaves are secured together the ends of each short leaf shall tit closely against the leaf beneath it, and thus each leaf will receive its proportionate amount of strain. For this reason the dies for the various leaves are of a different degree of curvature, the dies for forming the first or primary leaf being of the form shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 4 representing the dies for formingthe secondleaf. To the lower concave face of the die H is secured a curved spring, I, by means of the screwst' near its center, this spring being of a shorter degree of curvature than the die to which it is attached, so that the ends of the spring shall not rest against the face of the die when at rest, (the purpose of this spring being to allow its ends to bear on the ends of heated plate before pressure is brought to bear upon the center of said heated plate.) If desired, spring-studs J may be inserted in the die H, arranged to bear against the free ends of the spring I to add greaterstrength to said spring. The lower die, H, is provided with the stops j, and from the face of said die projectsa pin, 70, which, when the die H approaches the die H enters an OJGDlU 7c in the lower face.

of the die H. hen the first leaf of the spring is to be formed it is placed, after being heated, on the die H, (see Fig. 3,) the pin is entering the central bolt hole in the leaf and the edge of the leaf resting against the stopsj. The operator now presses against the handlever D, and by this means the clutches b are caused to engage with each other, and the shaft is thus caused to turn, and the pitnian F and die H are thereby depressed, and the leaf of the spring is formed and is firmly pressedbetweenthediesHandH. Thespring G between the end of the pitman and the block E prevents a sudden stroke upon the leaf being formed, and also allows for any slight variation in the thickness of the various leaves. When the'pitman F has reached its lowest point the clutches b are disengaged and the pitman remains at rest, and while in this position water is introduced through the pipe K, which, flowing through the branches K, enters a groove or channel, in the face of the die H, thus coming in contact with the heated leaf of the spring being formed and tempers it while it is held firmly between the dies, and thus the leaf retains its proper degree of curvature. When a sufficient number of these primary leaves have been formed the dies H H shown in Fig. 3 are replaced by others of the shape shown in Fig. 4. In all other dies, except those used to form the first or primary leaf of the spring, the water for tempering the leaves is preferably introduced through the upper die, as shown in Fig. 4, as this will bring the water nearer to the leaf to be tempered, the spring I being perforated to allow the water from pipes 70 to reach the heated springplate. When the short leaves of the spring are to be formed a number of finger-springs, L, are preferably added, being attached by pivot-bolts l to the block E at the sides of the die H, and pins Z are inserted in the faces of the block, against which the fingers bear to compel them to give the requisite amount of elasticity. The free ends of these fingers are each provided with a shoe, M, pivoted to said end by a pin or bolt, m, the purpose of which is to permit the free end of each finger to adjust itself to any slight variation of the transverse surface of leaves from horizontal planes. To make a perfect-fittingspring, the primary leaf is laid on the die H,which latter, being of a shorter degree of curvature than the die upon which the primary leaf was formed, leaves the ends of said primary leaf free, as shown in Fig. 4. The second leaf, after being heated, is now laid on the primary leaf on the die H and the dieH depressed in the manner before stated, and as it descends the ends of the fingers L come in contact with the leaves of the spring being formed and press the ends of said leaves and of the primary leaf gradually down on the die H, and as the die H continues to descend the leaves are firmly pressed between the two dies. The clutch b is now again disengaged and water is introduced through the pipe K, and the upper or short leaf of the spring is thus tempered while held in this position. When the die H is again elevated the short leaf remains of the shape as tempered; but the lower or primary leaf, having been previously tempered, again assumes the shape shown in Fig. 4.. In this manner each.of the short leaves of the spring is, by the substitution of dies of the proper curvature, formed with shorter curvature than the one immediate] y beneath it, and is also formed to accurately fit the leaf beneath it when the various leaves are secured together.

It will be obvious that the supporting-frame of our machine may be modified without interfering with the principle and purposes of our invention. So, also,'many of the various other features of ourinvention may be advantageously employed alone or in connection with one or more of the remaining features of u erated by suitable mechanism, and the movable block E, the pitman being connected to said block by stirrup f, of a spring, G, interposed between the endof said pitnian and. the said hlock,substantia1ly as and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination of the pitman F, provided with pin f the stirrup f provided with slotf through which said pin passes, the block or die E, and the spring G, interposed between the end of the pitman and the edge of said block: or die, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with the die H, formed substantially as described, and the spring-fingers L, located at either side of said die, of the die H, one of said dies being provided with means for causing it to approach and recede from the other, substantially as and. for the purposes specified.

4. The spring-fingers L, provided with the pivoted ends M, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

CHARLES F. SHOEMAKER. ELMER J. HESS. Witnesses:

A. S. LUDLOW, E. R. HILL. 

